Mirror
by Teixak
Summary: Just the smallest deviation can change things for better.. or for worse. A half-lion neko with a confusing destiny, a nervous boy with a hidden power, and the chain that turns the gears of their fate... AU of Kingdom Hearts 1.
1. Prologue 1

**DISCLAIMER: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters do not belong to me. This concept technically belongs to Leixand, as do Cassie and kinda-sorta "Alpha" (who might count as a Square-Enix character, I don't know). The only character I actually own in this fic is Dominic. ..Well, Joseph too, but he's only mentioned a few times.  
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_**Prologue- Part One**_

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_I've been having these weird thoughts lately...  
Like... is any of this for real.._

_...or not?_

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_So much to do...  
so little time...  
Take your time.  
Don't be afraid.  
_

A young brunette boy looks around himself in shock and wonder. There's nothing around him but a black void, but under his feet is a magnificent stained glass platform illustrating a girl he doesn't recognize. Was this a dream? He tried to recall the past few moments, but can't seem to focus.

_The door is still shut.  
Now, step forward.  
Can you do it?_

The boy doesn't look that out of place at first. A loose black hoodie and orange capris are his attire, a chain dangling in a loop from his belt. A golden crown emblem is on each sleeve- an emblem he always felt a small connection to. Then, on closer inspection, it is revealed that he's not entirely human. A long, lion-like tail stops short of brushing against the "ground"; his hands are pawlike and his ears also bear a strong resemblance to a feline's. His hair spikes out, drooping slightly against the force of gravity; the back of it is black instead of the dark brown the rest of his hair is. A small red collar is around his neck. There's a scant moment of hesitation as the boy searches for the source of the strange voice, then he obeys.  
His footsteps echo across the great expanse. Again he can't help but look around; the constant question of "is this a dream?" pinging around in his head. Suddenly a bright light appears to his left. He turns in surprise; a stone pedestal rises up, a black shield with a red trim and an oddly familiar symbol, also in red, hovering above it.

_Power sleeps within you._

Another pedestal rises up to his right, a green and blue staff appearing.

_If you give it form..._

A third, and final, pedestal appears before him. A magnificent sword with a blue and gold hilt is the treasure this time.

_It will give you strength._

_Choose well._

Each step weighing him down with purpose, he approaches the sword and picks it up. It feels heavy in his hands, and the voice speaks again.

_The power of the warrior.  
Invincible courage.  
A sword of terrible destruction.  
Is this the power you seek?_

As soon as the thought flitted through his mind, the sword exploded in light, a glimmering blue star remaining in his hand for a short moment. The voice sounds almost.. regretful.

_Your path is set._

_Now, what will you give up in exchange?_

The boy turns to look at the remaining pedestals- the shield and the staff. Indecision strikes him, and he hesitates. He reaches out for the shield, then stops himself before choosing the staff.

_You have chosen the power of the warrior.  
You have given up the power of the mystic.  
Is this the form you choose?_

He doesn't need to say anything. His decision is made. The pedestals suddenly collapse, startling him. He hears a noise and turns to see the platform shattering underneath him; the golden shards vanish as he plummets into the abyss. His hair is blown back as he enters freefall. Yet.. the brunette isn't afraid. Another stained glass platform rushes up to meet him, the muted purples and blues depicting yet another beautiful girl that he doesn't recognize. The sword appears in his hands with a glimmer in his hand.

_You've gained the power to fight._

Gripping the sword tightly, the boy stumbles forward.

_All right! You've got it!_

_Use this power to protect yourself and others._

Would I really use it for anything else? he thinks. A chill suddenly runs down his spine and he sees a shadow cast across. A shadow cast by nothing. As always so far- or had it been his entire life?- the gentle voice speaks to him.

_There will be times you have to fight._

The boy stifles a scream as another shadow appears and.. the impossible happens. They rise up, becoming three dimensional; humanoid creatures with round, soulless yellow eyes that seem to stare right through him. Yet his fear is negated by the soothing voice.

_Keep your light burning strong._

Two more of the creatures appear. The lion boy jumps up over the nearest one, whacking it with the blade. It stumbles back and he swipes again, managing to hit the other ones approaching him. A third strike and the first creature falls, dissolving back into a shadow and vanishing without a trace. The others follow suit, almost as if out of fear. He relaxes, his tail twitching just the slightest as he stands up. He suddenly hears a cry-

_Behind you!_

-and he spins around to see that one had sneaked up behind him. He destroys it in three strikes, then turns to face the remaining enemies closing in on him. Three, then two, then one... then none. The final one disappears in an irregular 'hole'. The boy gasps as the stained glass platform is suddenly engulfed in shadow. It surrounds him, trapping him, and he stifles another scream as he feels it pulling at him, dragging him down. He struggles with all his might, terrified. Despite his best efforts, the darkness closes over his head and he sinks down into the abyss.  
A light breaks through the darkness. The boy wriggles around in panic before his senses return, and he gets to his feet. This platform is... different. He starts to search around, taking everything in, then he spots an ornate door on the far end. Curiosity overrides curiosity, and he strides towards it. Yet as he reaches towards it, he stops. 'I can't open this.' The door is translucent on closer inspection, much to his dismay. Not to be deterred, he reaches one hand out and grips one of the handles. It feels warm in his hand. He blinks and the door solidifies before him. The boy tugs gently, then lets go with a quick gesture and hurries back. The door cracks open, a bright light striking him and causing him to close one eye in slight pain. The light engulfs him, and he's whisked away to.. where?

_Hold on.  
The door won't open just yet._

_First, tell me more about yourself._

This... this is his home. No, not his home. The mists of the dream continue to hide his true memories from him, confusing him. He was on a wooden structure above the ocean. His friend... what was her name.. he struggled to remember, then gave up. He'd remember later. His friend looked at him with inquisitive green eyes, brushing a strand of brown hair out of her face as she straightened her yellow dress with the other, sitting on the wooden railing. Her expression was uncanny and.. kind of terrifying; her voice was familiar yet had an otherworldly echo to it.

_"What's most important to you?"_

He doesn't need to think before answering; the word slips out before he has a chance. "Friendship." The girl smiles at him in an unnerving fashion, and he finds himself too busy trying not to show any visible signs of distress that he doesn't hear what she says in reply. Nearly tripping over his tail as he hastens away, he bumps into his second friend. The brunette takes a moment to notice his companion's odd uneven pant legs before the other boy spoke.

_"What are you so afraid of?"_

A tense moment. "...Being indecisive." The other boy raises an eyebrow in curiosity.

_"Being indecisive? Is that really so scary?"_

Hiding his embarrassment under his overlong bangs, the brunette trudges away in silence. A third friend, a firey redhead toying around with a familiar ball, glances up as he approaches.

_"What do you want outta life?"_

"To see rare sights." Before the reply comes, the inner voice echoes through him.

_You value friendship.  
You're afraid of being indecisive.  
You want to see rare sights._

_Your adventure begins at dawn.  
As long as the sun is shining,  
your journey should be a pleasant one.  
_

_The day you will open the door is both far off  
and very near._

Everything erupts around him in a white light, and he's whisked away back to the abyss. A stained glass platform depicting a girl surrounded by thorns awaits him. His stride now more confident, he walks to the middle. An unearthly chill settles upon him and he's suddenly surrounded by the black creatures from before. His furious attacks defeat one or two, but the others twist around him, slipping back into two-dimensional shadows or leaping up over his head. Fear threatens to overpower him, but he perseveres. Soon his opponents have all fallen and he's the only one still standing, the rush of battle leaving him panting in its wake. A glimmering circle appears not too far from where he's standing. As he steps on it, the exhaustion seems to fade away, and the memories of the past few moments of this strange dream flash through his mind. A ring of sunlight drifts from his position over to the far edge. Stained glass stairsteps appear in the murky darkness, as if inviting him to go on. A tower of sorts- the supports of the next platform- can be seen as he dashes up the steps, drawing nearer with each moment. Somehow... somehow, he can tell that the dream is nearing to a close.

_The closer you get to light,  
the greater your shadow becomes._

Blinking in surprise at the cryptic message, the boy is struck by a sudden feeling of dread. His shadow stretches out behind him.. then turns to face him, rising up like the odd creatures. The lion boy cries out in shock but no sound comes forth. He stumbles backwards, the inky black copy of himself advancing, the replica's tail swishing from side to side in the manner of a predator stalking its prey before attack.

_But don't be afraid._

The shadow changes, starting to tower over him.

_And don't forget..._

He tries to scream as the monster, now easily three times the original size, reaches out. The boy tries to run but meets only the abyss, nearly losing his balance. He takes a couple of deep breaths, stepping back and turning around as the sword appears in his hand once more. Blinding steel meets solidified shadow; it plunges its hand into the platform, the glass turning into rippling darkness. The smaller creatures the boy fought before rise up out of it to meet his blade. The beast withdraws, but not fast enough. The boy strikes fast, gouges appearing in the creature's hands and feet but 'healing' just as fast.  
It's a leap of faith- leap after leap after leap. It blends into the abyss around them, the lighting provided by the platform- now depicting yet another girl in a sunny-colored ballroom gown- not enough to illuminate his target. And yet, strike after strike, the brunette's own strength is waning. With a final yell, he plunges the sword into the beast's arm. The weapon disappears and he jumps back to avoid being crushed as the dark being advances. He is nothing but a brightly-colored insect to it. A dark portal opens up underneath him as he falls on his rear.

_-But don't be afraid._

The darkness seeps up around his legs, clawing at him and trying to drag him under. The beast looms over him, awaiting his destruction.. hastening it.

_You hold the mightiest weapon of all._

The boy screams and struggles as he's pulled down, the inky darkness already up to his shoulders and reaching up higher. Like deadly quicksand it engulfs him slowly, rendering the boy powerless against his own fear.

_So don't forget:_

A final yell as his doom approaches, memory and thought fading as he's lost in the darkness. There is no sight, no sound, no feeling. The brunette boy gives in, feeling the last shreds of his consciousness disappear like everything else.

_You are the one who will open the door._

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**This is something I'm.. experimenting with. How many people here know about Sora's beta design? Anyone? ..Guess who's the main star of this. This is an AU Kingdom Hearts fanfic, and it crosses over into Leixand and I's RP universe. This should be an interesting ride- as soon as I get the introductions out of the way.**_  
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	2. Prologue 2

_**~Prologue pt2~**_

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_It's hard to say if I'd rather stay  
awake while I'm asleep  
'cause everything is never as it seems  
(I fall asleep)_

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The twittering of birds sounded around him. His eyes slowly opened to meet beautiful blue sky, the sun shining bright as ever. With a yawn he sat up, looking out at the waves lapping gently at the golden beach. A light thump announced the boy flopping back over on his back to see a pretty blue-eyed girl peering at him. "Whoa-!" He jolted up, nearly smacking himself in the face with his tail and spraying sand everywhere. The girl laughed at him good-naturedly, her light reddish hair dangling into her face as the lionlike boy fussed with his own, his expression shifting to a scowl. "Come _on_, Kairi."  
"Sora, you lazy bum," she chided, bopping him on the nose before straightening up. The boy- Sora- yelped in slight surprise. A grin crossed Kairi's face at his reaction, and she continued. "I knew I'd find you snoozing down here." Indignant, the brunette lept to his feet, sending more sand flying.  
"No, it's not like that! I was in this dark place, and this huge, black... _**THING **_swallowed me up!" He emphasized each word with a distraught flail of his arms. "I- I couldn't breathe, I couldn't-" Something bonked into his head and stars winked into his vision, and he dropped to his knees. "Ow."  
"Are you still dreaming?" Kairi asked with a tilt of her head. Sora looked at her with a mix of seriousness and annoyance. His tail flicked in agitation.  
"It _wasn't _a dream." He hesitated, beginning to feel doubt. "...Or... or was it? ...I don't know." He turned to look at the waves again, speaking more to himself than to his friend. "...What _was _that place..? It was so weird..."

"Yeah, sure." Kairi obviously didn't believe him; she had no reason to in the first place. She strode past him and a thought popped into the boy's head.  
"Hey, Kairi.." She turned her head to acknowledge him, and he continued. "What was your hometown like? You know... where you grew up."  
"I told you before," she teased, "I don't remember." Sora tilted his head in curiosity.  
"Nnnnothing at all?" he inquired.  
"Nothing." She managed to keep her voice cheery. Sora wasn't done questioning her, however.  
"You ever wanna go back?" He plopped down on his rear, tracing things in the sand with one finger. Kairi seems to hesitate.  
"Nn... Well, I'm happy here." She shrugged amiably. Her companion's expression shifted, looking a bit skeptical.  
"..Really."  
"But, you know..." she turned her sapphire gaze up to the sky. "..I wouldn't mind if I got to see it."  
"I'd like to see it too," Sora admitted, starting to get to his feet again. "..along with any other worlds out there!" He grinned, feeling the rush of adventure- of longing- tugging at him. "I want to see 'em all!"  
Kairi turned to him suddenly with a smile. "So what're we waiting for?"

"Hey!" A voice called. "-aren't you guys forgetting about _me_?" A silver-haired boy with a log tucked under one arm chuckled. "I guess I'm the only one working on the raft." He'd been Sora's rival since longer than they both could remember, and best friend even longer than that. In one graceful motion he tossed the plank to Sora, knocking the catboy off his wobbly footing. Kairi giggled. The older boy strode over to her, glaring just the slightest. "And you're just as lazy as he is!"  
Kairi giggled again, a bit embarrassed. "So you noticed." With a spring in her step, she pranced over. "Okay, we'll finish it together! I'll race you~!"  
"Huh?" Sora blinked, still recovering from his newest concussion. Riku groaned, rolling his eyes.  
"Are you kidding?" Yet his tone was still lighthearted- he'd take any chance he could if it meant one-upping Sora. Kairi grinned, knowing this as well as he did.  
"Readyyy... GO!" The two boys leapt forward like bullets from a gun, spraying sand everywhere as they dashed off. Kairi tried to keep up with them, laughing like a deluded moron all the way. Yet even as Kairi and Sora enjoyed their little race, the fierce light of competition burned in Riku's eyes.

This was their island. Destiny Islands. An island off the coast of the mainland had become their own secret hangout spot ages ago, their own little hideaway. Kairi waited for Sora at the wooden hut not far from where he'd dozed off, smiling as he ran up to her. "So, can you gather the rest of the supplies?" she asked in curiosity. A short pause. "...Sora, are you_ listening _to me?"  
He blinked, shaking off his daydreaming. "..What did you say?"  
The girl groaned in slight frustration. "We can't build a raft without materials! We need two logs, one piece of cloth, and one rope. Bring everything back here, okay? No more slacking!" Sora nodded, running off.  
He knew the island better than the back of his hand. In mere seconds he's found a piece of driftwood he can use, lifting it up and resting it on one shoulder with a cocky grin. Spray from the waterfall drenched him as he ran up the path and he laughed, enjoying the bright summer's day. It's only a quick jaunt up to the many other wooden structures for him to locate the cloth Kairi had asked for. 'That just leaves another log and a rope,' he thinks. He hops the railing and flips over in the air, landing on all-fours back down on the sandy beach with no harm beyond a slight jolt.  
It didn't take long for him to find Tidus goofing off, as well as the rope. Three things down, one to go. He glanced over his shoulder at Tidus, then shrugged and strode over. The boy had his red stick in one hand, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hey, Sora!" he called. "You feel lucky today?" He swiped at thin air, and Sora couldn't help but stare at his oddly uneven pant legs. Seriously, the heck? When the lion boy didn't answer, Tidus elaborated. "A competition. You game?"  
"Alright, you asked for it," Sora grinned. He jumped down from the perch; Tidus scrambled after him. The brunette picked up a wooden sword- _his _wooden sword- and charged at the dirty blond. Sword met staff, then Sora twisted and slammed Tidus several times in the side. The younger boy stumbled, the breath knocked out of him. The catboy leaped away as Tidus tried to copy his tatic, always a step ahead. The sword felt like an extension of his own arm as he twirled and struck. Finally he knocked Tidus' legs out from under him, sending the boy tumbling into the water with a started yelp. He sprung up to the surface a moment later, soaking wet as he stumbled back onto the beach.  
"Dang... I'm really off today.."  
"It's okay." Sora was just the teeniest bit unnerved as he thought about the dream again. That sword... those strange shadows.. and... Fear shot through him like he'd been struck by lightning as he remembered the darkness closing in over his head. He flailed wildly and one hand met the railing, snapping him back to reality just in time to stop his plunge over the barrier and into the ocean. His heart beat a hundred miles a second as he steadied himself, his whole body trembling. "It's just a dream... just a dream." A whisper echoing from his lips meant to reassure himself, a constant mantra that failed at its purpose and left the kid trying to grab a hold of himself. With a tired sigh he shoved himself away from the railing, trudging on his search.

He found Riku sitting on the paopu fruit tree. Sora spared his friend and rival a passing glance as he located the remaining log needed for their raft. 'Alright.. now to take this back to Kairi.' The dark thoughts from earlier banished from his mind completely, the lion hummed a happy tune as he jogged back to the hut. Kairi smiled as he set his load down nearby. "Thanks, Sora!" She tilted her head just the slightest, noticing every little nuance of his body language. "Tired? You want to call it a day?"  
Sora shrugged, yawning. "Yeah... that was a lot of work, plus Tidus."  
Kairi giggled. "Okay. It's getting late anyways: we'll finish up tomorrow."

The sunset was beautiful. Sora and Kairi sat side-by-side on the paopu tree while Riku leaned up against it. It couldn't have been a more perfect moment as the waves crashed against the shore, lit up by the final rays of today. The questions from earlier bother Sora just the slightest; his dangling tail's nervous twitches give away his emotions.  
"So... Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?"  
"Could be." Riku shrugged, apathetic. "We'll never know by staying here." Sora leaned over to get a good look at him, his brown bangs obscuring his view even then.  
"But how far could a raft take us?"  
"Who knows?" A generic gesture. "If we have to, we'll think of something else."  
"So.." Kairi began. "Suppose you get to another world." She smiled. "What'd you do there?"  
"Hm." Riku stared at the ground, hesitant almost. Neither Sora nor Kairi could see his expression. "Well... I haven't really thought about it. It's just..." He looked up at the sky. "I've always wondered why we're here, on this island." A short pause. "If there _are_ any other worlds out there.. why did we end up on this one?" Sora was about to interject, but he isn't done. "And suppose there _are_ other worlds... Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So, we could've just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"  
"Idunno." Sora shrugged and laid down on the sturdy trunk.  
"_Exactly._" Riku turns to look up at the duo. "That's why we need to go out there... and find out." He stands up, walking to the edge. "..Just sitting here won't change a thing." Kairi glanced away, and Sora turned towards him, a slight frown marring his features. "It's.. it's the same old stuff. ...So let's go."  
"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Kairi's question held no ill intent. Riku is quiet. Then the serious-looking boy let a smile out and turned back to look at her.  
"Thanks to you." Sora's attention is snagged again, and the lion boy sat up just slightly. "If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of _any_ of this." His voice is sincere. "Kairi... thanks."

"Sora!"  
The boy was broken out of this thoughts by Riku's voice, whirling around. A star-shaped fruit hurtled through the air, landing perfectly in his paws. The silver-haired boy grinned. "You wanted one, didn't you?"  
"A paopu fruit..." He looked down at the yellow fruit he's holding.  
"If two people share one," Riku reminded him, "their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives... no matter what." He didn't see Sora's expression as he walked by, laughing a bit. "Come on, I know you want to try it."  
"What're you talki-" Sora's inquiry is cut off by Riku's jovial laughter. Annoyed, he tossed the fruit aside and chased his fleeing friend. As the last rays of sunlight faded and the dark of night settled over Destiny Islands, the location's name couldn'tve been more correct.

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**A/N: Ugh, I am so ticked off at myself. My plan was to have this be the last Destiny Islands chapter, then finally introduce the "sidekick" character after a timeskip. Unfortunately, my short attention span won, and this is the end of Chapter 2. God****it. So.. yeah. Next chapter coming up soon, I hope.**

**..Did anyone actually think it'd end at the Awakening sequence? o_O**

**~Teixak**


	3. Prologue 3

_**~Prologue 3~**_

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_We've got problems and we don't know how to solve them  
Everywhere we go there's a skeleton that follows  
We got baggage, you know we're gonna drag it  
Everywhere we go, for everyone to see_

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Another average day.  
Sora headed off to the cove to meet Riku as he usually did, yawning tiredly. His drunken stumbling failed to catch Riku's attention who was preoccupied with looking out over the ocean with a thoughtful look. Or so Sora thought. "Hey." The older boy yawned as well, turning to glance at him.  
"What's up?" the catboy inquired, tilting his head slightly.  
"Nothing much.. just thinking." Riku crossed his arms. "Our raft still needs a name, you know. I'm thinking _Highwind_, but what do you think?"  
Sora blinked, then thought for a couple of moments. "Me? Um, well.. Idunno, Excalibur sounds cool."  
Riku ignored him. "Hey, how 'bout..."  
"..The usual?" Sora raised an eyebrow. The other boy grinned.  
"Let's do it!"  
"You guys at it again?" Kairi walked over, looking a bit annoyed. "All right, I'll be the judge." She laughed a little bit. "The usual rules apply: Take any route you want... First one to tag that tree and make it back here wins."

It was one of the usual competitions they'd came up with. Riku always challenged Sora to something like this whenever they had a dispute. Their destination was a tree a short while away with a star mark on it, slightly worn down from ages of being smacked. The two boys were about the same speed, and it was hard to keep track of them as they weaved in and out of sight. Yet, somehow, Sora had always come out on top, even with Riku's best efforts. He really wasn't sure why, or why Riku was always so peeved off when he lost. For Sora, it was something fun to do. For Riku, everything was at stake- including his pride and dignity.  
"If I win, uh... I'm captain!" Sora thought for a moment. "And if you win-"  
"I get to share the paopu with Kairi." Riku's face was blank. Sora stared at him, taken aback.  
"...Huh?"  
"Deal?" He grinned. "The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi."  
"Wha... Wait a minute..." Sora blinked in confusion. This was completely out of the blue.  
"OKAY!" Kairi called, not hearing their conversation. "On my count-!" She didn't even get to start counting before the two boys dashed off. Riku was faster when it came to speed, but Sora had the advantage of being able to jump higher and take routes his rival wasn't able to. Wood creaked overhead as the silver-haired bishounen took the higher route, while the agile catboy sent grass, sand, and water flying in his mad rush. Riku climbed up to the point Kairi had indicated and grinned to himself, only to suddenly jerk back in surprise as a shadow whooshed by. Sora leaped over his head, tagged the bark with one hand, and landed on the beach below all in one swift movement. Riku's surprised hesitation only cost him more time as the lion boy bounded off.  
A shortcut in mind, Sora sprang into the water and flailed around a bit. Swimming wasn't his forte- being part feline might have had something to do with that- but it would probably be the quicker route. Yet as he flopped back ashore and shook the water off, his heart sank as Riku gracefully jumped onto where Kairi was standing.  
"Great..." he mumbled, dejected. Riku grinned at him.  
"Alright, we're naming the raft the _Highwind_." Sora bit back a hiss at his friend's smugness. He'd always been able to beat Riku- why not now? For a moment, despair seized him. He shook it off like water, forcing a smile as he walked over to the raft_._ Kairi was sitting on it proudly.  
"Now we need to collect provisions!" she chirped. "Let's see.. Sora, you're supposed to get one seagull egg, three mushrooms, two coconuts, three fish... Oh, and fill this up with drinking water, will you? But not from the ocean, dummy!" She handed him an empty bottle, as well as a satchel. "Bring everything back here. If you need help, just ask!" Kairi smiled up at him, and it was like the imaginary clouds overhead had parted to reveal the sun.  
"I'll be back soon!" he called, running off. The sand slipped out from underneath him and sent him head-over-heels with a surprised yowl.  
...He was pretty sure he could hear Kairi laughing at him.

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The coconut trees were closest. A smirk spread across his face as he picked up his wooden sword and swung, giving the nearest tree a good smack. Something crashed into his head and sent stars flickering across his vision. Dazed, he picked up the offending coconut and tried again with a bit more success, catching the second coconut before it could give him a concussion. There. Sore head or not, two items down. Sora glanced around, thinking. He knew the island by the back of his hand, so where could he find..? An idea struck him and he headed over to a small cave blocked off by a boulder. With some difficulty, the catboy pushed the makeshift door out of the way to spot his 'prize'. "I hope these are edible," he muttered as he pocketed a mushroom. Sora wasn't sure if he even knew or not.  
Another mushroom later, he spotted a small stream- probably from an underground spring- emptying itself out into the ocean. Grumbling to himself about having to do all the work (for all he knew, Riku was trying to see how many times he could hit Wakka's face with his fist again), he unscrewed the cap and filled it with the fresh water. For a few minutes he waged an inward battle, then lost and shoved his head inside the hole. "Oh god- bad idea, bad idea!" Sputtering, he fell over backwards into the shallow waters, thoroughly soaking his clothes for the second time that day.  
He hauled himself up, a scowl darkening his expression. Riku's laughter wasn't helping his annoyance, either. "What's the matter?" the silver-haired boy taunted. "Kitty got wet?"  
Sora bit back a retort and left the cove, oblivious to the trail of water marking his path. He trudged along with considerably less enthusiasm, sorting out the thoughts banging around in his head. It wasn't until too late that he noticed one foot hanging out over thin air. The obvious thing happened, and Sora soon found himself bobbing underwater, inches away from a curious- and convenient- fish.

"Got you!" Sora yelled. Or, he would've, if he wasn't underwater. At any rate, the fish was shoved into the bag Kairi had given him, along with the frustrating coconuts, quite-possibly-poisonous-but-hopefully-not mushrooms, and bottle of water. Two other fish soon met the same baggy fate.  
"Hi, Wakka!" The redhead barely had time to turn around before Sora leaped up atop the roof next to him and stared determinedly at a nest of eggs. He probably couldn't knock it down with his sword like he had with the coconuts, seeing as Kairi wouldn't be too happy if he returned with shattered eggshells. "Time for some improvisation." Wakka stared in disbelief as the neko scaled a nearby tree with ease. Sora shifted slightly to get a good look at his destination, then launched himself off... and missed completely. Wakka winced in sympathy at the loud thump accompanying his awkward landing.  
"...Ow."  
The miscalculation didn't damper Sora's efforts, however. A few more misses later, the catboy claimed his prize and hopped down.

"...Just one last thing before I go back to Kairi..." With a small smile he slipped into the hidden cave that had come to be called their "Secret Place". The path was dark; it took Sora a few moments before his nightvision kicked in and he could make his way through without much issue.  
He trailed a hand along the wall, smiling still as his fingers alighted upon drawings that they'd put there ages ago. This place held many fond memories for him beyond just doodles. Pictures of him and Kairi... His eyes fluttered closed as he rested his hand on the drawing of her he'd put there years ago. With an unsteady hand he added a small modification to the picture- the drawing of himself was now handing the drawing of Kairi a star-shaped fruit.  
An unusual noise caught his attention and he leaped to his feet, backing away. "W- who's there..?"

"I've come to see the door to this world." The voice is unfamiliar. He strained to see the source, unnerved by the sudden appearance.  
"Huh?"  
"This world has been connected." The meaning of the phrase flew past him. Sora took another half-step back.  
"Wh-what do you mean?" His question was seemingly ignored by the stranger. He started to pose the question again, only to be cut off.  
"Tied to the darkness... soon to be completely eclipsed." Sora shivered as he was given the answer. The urge to flee- to go back to Kairi and Riku, to pretend this wasn't happening, that there wasn't a stranger on their island- was overwhelming, yet he stood his ground. He took a breath to steady himself, stepping forward.  
"Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this! ..Huh?" He froze. "Wh-where... where did you come from?"  
"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door." The speaker's appearance was hidden by a brown hooded cloak. His words still held no meaning that Sora could grasp, only unnerving the catboy further. ..Then something clicked, and he gasped.  
"You're from another world!"  
The stranger ignored his outburst. "There is so very much to learn." A light chuckle that sounded a tad... malevolent. "You understand so little."  
"Oh yeah?" Sora scowled, his tail twitching. "Well, you'll see!" He stepped forward again. "I'm gonna get out and **learn** what's out there!"  
"A meaningless effort." Sora bristled at the comment, but his reaction went unnoticed. "One who knows nothing can understand nothing." A strong gust of wind blew through the cave, causing Sora to act on instinct and put an arm up over his eyes. When the catboy dropped his stance, the cloaked figure was gone.

_You will be the one to open the door._

Why were the words from his dream ringing through his head now? Slowly he crept to where the stranger had been standing moments before. A door took up the end of the cave- a door he was certain hadn't been there before. With a sense of trepadition he approached it, until fear overcame curiosity and he fled from the cave.

* * *

The sunlight was an eyesore as he emerged from behind the waterfall. Wakka gave no notice as Sora landed beside him and stashed away the final mushroom he'd scavenged while on his way out. The memory of what had just occured rattled around inside his mind, nearly driving him to the brink of insanity. _What did he mean? Who __**was**__ that guy? What does my dream have to do with all this? _Each question only brought with it more questions, with no answer in sight. By the time he reached the cove and stumbled over to the raft, he was shaking badly. Kairi gave him a concerned look, which was quickly brushed aside by Sora's nervous smile.  
"Here." He dumped the pack in front of her. Kairi smiles, rifling through it to make sure everything was in place.  
"Thanks, Sora!" She giggled. "Hm.. I've been making a necklace of thalassa shells while you were running around. In the old days, sailors always wore them, so maybe it'll bring us luck?"  
"Huh." Sora shrugged. Kairi tilted her head.  
"You look tired.. maybe we should call it a day."  
"Yeah, that'd be a good idea." He smiled at her warmly. Kairi giggled, then walked off. Sora watched her leave for a bit, then slowly followed after her.

* * *

"You know... Riku has changed."  
The sunlight lit up the world and dyed both the sky and water a fierce orange. The two of them sat on the edge of the dock in solitude, staring out at the horizon. Sora shifted his position uneasily as he listened to Kairi, his head tilted just the slightest.  
"What d'you mean?"  
"Well.." Kairi sighed.  
"...You okay?" He glanced at her in concern. Kairi's face lit up as she was struck by an idea.  
"Sora! Let's take the raft and go -just the two of us!"  
"Huh?" The random outburst surprised him; the idea of leaving Riku behind was inconceivable. Kairi laughed at him.  
"Just kidding~" She smiled, amused by her friend's utterly bewildered expression. Sora stuttered a bit, baffled.  
"What's gotten into you?" He frowned, but a bit of humor showed itself in his words. "You're the one that's changed, Kairi."  
"...Maybe." She was quiet for a few moments, then continued. "You know, I was a little afraid at first, but.. now I'm ready." Kairi smiled, looking out at the sunset. "No matter where I go, or.. what I see, I know I can always come back here." She turned to look at Sora. "Right?"  
"Yeah, of course!" He smiled at her. Kairi glanced away again, only serving to confuse him further.  
"...That's good." She turned her gaze to the water below them, her hair falling in her eyes as her mood shifted to a more serious tone. "Sora... don't ever change."  
The catboy blinked, tilting his head to one side. "Huh?"  
Kairi stood up, staring ahead and speaking quietly. "I just can't wait... Once we set sail, it'll be great.."

The two looked out at the horizon -where what had once been infinity now felt just a little bit closer.

* * *

_I just can't wait... once we set sail... it'll be great._

_

* * *

_

**D A Y - T W O - P O I N T - F I V E**

* * *

"...A storm?"

Lightning flashed outside Sora's window. His tail twitched and he sat up to get a better look at the malovelent clouds. Relization struck him as lightning flashed again, and he sprang to his feet. "Oh no- the raft!"  
An anxious parent called upstairs to reach only the silence of an empty room. The curtains drifted in the wind from an open window.

* * *

"What's that?"  
A glowing sphere hung in the sky above the island. Sora hopped out on the dock, staring up at it in a mixture of awe and terror. Something else caught his attention, causing him to gasp.  
"Riku's boat... and Kairi's!"  
Something moved in his peripherial vision and he whirled to see a nightmare. What had been previously harmless shadows now sprung up into a three-dimensional form, two glowing yellow orbs serving as the creatures' eyes. Sora's heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute as the creatures approached; he stifled a scream as he remembered where he'd seen them before. One lunged at him but he dodged aside, retrieving his wooden sword from the boat and giving the monster a good thwack. He might as well have been hitting thin air for all it did.  
The paralyzing fear struck again and he ran straight ahead. The creatures formed around him as he charged past them; several tried to block his way with moderate and varying success. Images of his dream mingled with his fear and panic and he tried not to think about it, instead focusing on Riku and Kairi with all his might. _They're gonna be okay they're gonna be okay they're gonna be-_

Before he realized where he'd been heading, he was near the waterfall cave. An ornate door stood where there had just been an opening before. With a slight hesitation, Sora rested his hand on the handle. The door creaked open at his touch, as if .._expecting_ him. The odd feeling was nearly enough for Sora to turn tail and run, but the shadow creatures were starting to close in on him and the cave very well may have been his only sanctuary. With a growing sense of fear, he entered the cave.

* * *

"Kairi!"  
She was standing in front of the odd door from before -the one the mysterious stranger had been so interested in. As she heard Sora's voice she glanced over her shoulder, then slowly turned to face him. Her voice was lifeless, her expression sad.  
"Sora..."  
She stumbled forward, one arm outstretched. The door flung open behind her before she could reach him; a blast of air swept her towards him and-  
...He wasn't sure what happened. He'd outstretched his arms to catch Kairi, and.. she'd just... phased through him. It was like she was a ghost. Before he could react, he was flung outside.  
"Kairi...!"

* * *

_Riku... Riku should know what to do... he'll know what happened to Kairi... _Thoughts raged through his head as his body went on autopilot, dodging the shadow creatures as he made his way up to where Tidus had been only a day or two before. Riku stood by the railing with his hands resting on it, staring up at the sphere that had appeared in the sky.  
"Riku!" Sora yelled. "Where's Kairi- what happened to her? I thought she'd be with you!" He pointed his wooden sword at Riku in accusation. The silver-hair boy didn't reply, his expression a blank mask. Finally, he spoke.  
"The door... has opened."

_You will be the one to open the door._

"What?" Sora was taken aback. All these creatures around- Kairi missing- and Riku was concerned about a door?  
"The door has opened, Sora!" Riku yelled, turning to face him and drowning out the catboy's protests. His eyes were alight with an almost manic determination. "Now we can go to the outside world!"  
"What're you talking about?" Sora got in a defensive position, his feline ears flattening against his skull. "Riku, listen, something happened in the cave- Kairi- we need to find her-"  
"Kairi's coming with us!" Riku was deaf to his protests; his emotion turned to anger. Sora jerked back. "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again... There's no turning back." Sora opened his mouth only to be cut off before he could even speak. "But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us!

"I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

He held a hand out to Sora, tempting him. The catboy hesitated.  
"Riku..."  
A black swirl opened up underneath Riku, but the boy didn't change his stance. The black tendrils curled up around him, engulfing his legs and making their way up until most of his body was obscured. Sora tried to run to him- _I need to help him!_ - only to find his feet trapped by a second portal. Memories of his dream flashed through his mind faster and faster; his heartbeat accelerated as he tried to fight off his bonds. His free hand grasped for Riku's. The silver-haired boy smiled.

A spark of light appeared in the darkness.

Riku was gone. The weapon in Sora's hands felt both unfamiliar and like an extension of him. His hand was gripping the unmarked handle like a lifeline. With a curious gaze he examined the weapon; the wide, flat blade was rounded at the top. Sharp, serrated teeth stuck out from the edges, yet felt blunt as he ran a curious finger across them. Sora hadn't seen this weapon before in his entire life.  
And yet, as the voice inside his head spoke up again, he felt as if he'd had it all along.

_You are the wielder of the Chainblade.  
Your chain is the one that turns the wheels of our fate..._

_

* * *

_

The island was breaking apart.  
Sora fell roughly onto a shattered remnant of the beach and struggled to his knees. A purple mist filled in gaps between broken pieces and hid the probable abyss from view. The catboy took a nervous step back, his ears flattented against his head and his eyes wide. The sphere still hung overhead. A sound alerted Sora to activity behind him and he stood up shakily. His heart stopped. The urge to run- to scream- to just get away- pounded through his mind stronger than before. His knees buckled as the monstrosity loomed over him, the two yellow orbs serving as its eyes like two beacons in the impenetrable night.  
It was his shadow. It was the monster from his dream. It was his worst nightmare. And Sora wasn't going to back down.

He charged, the weapon from earlier- the Chainblade- in his hands. With a yell he struck out at the beast's ankles, not even sure if his attacks were doing anything. He could barely see for flashing metal and clouding darkness; despite his earlier observation that his weapon was blunt, each strike left a large gash that would heal over just as soon as it was cut. He gritted his teeth, not giving up. And yet, with each strike, Sora's fears were comfirmed. He was fighting a losing battle.  
The sphere overhead began to expand, engulfing first his enemy, then anything not tied down. Sora clung onto a nearby log; his claws left deep scores in the wood as he refused to let go of his lifeline. His grip was slipping, inch by inch. He gritted his teeth and held on for as long as he could.

It wasn't long enough. Sora yelled as he was pulled through the air, one arm still outstretched, only to disappear into the depths of the sphere.

* * *

**E N D - C H A P T E R - (+ A U T H O R ' S - N O T E S )  
**

**

* * *

**

**OH GOD THIS TOOK SO LONG.**

**Between Super Scribblenauts, Iji, school, and other shenanigans I hardly had time to work on this. It didn't help that I had to use a video walkthrough for some bits, and I hate transcribing stuff and auuuughhhh.  
So, stuff! The video was really bad with lighting so I had no clue what was going on in the first Secret Place cutscene. I had to ask my friend about that. Pretty much my mental transcripts of that scene was:**

**"you understand so little [dumb smiley I can't do on FFnet]" 'WELL SCREW YOU I'MMA LEARN THINGS' "hahaha no"  
derp you're a dumbass *shwoosh*" 'wtf'**

**Yeah I take such comprehensive notes don't I**

**Kairi freaked me out in the second Secret Place cutscene. Seriously. She sounded like a soulless zombie. And now I can't look at her the same way ever again.**

**The storm part is out of order on purpose. I don't know what that purpose is! Leixand came up with most of the variations, and I vaguely remembered stuff was different so I asked him and bluh  
SORA HAS A CHAINSAW SWORD, EFF YES  
Yyyyeah this is completely not your run-of-the-mill Kingdom Hearts. :3 AU!Sora's story is going to get a heck of a lot different from here~**

**GUESS WHAT THE PROLOGUE ISN'T OVER  
Don't look at me like that, it's just one more chapter that is relatively short and won't be a giant pain in the ass I just need to find it first because it establishes the final major character and fourth one of the group (Sora, Donald, Goofy, Mr. I'm Not Going To Tell You His Name Yet). Yaaay.**

**I'm gonna be over here getting some sleep. CRAP I DIDN'T MEAN FOR THIS TO GET SO LONG**

**~Teixak**


	4. Prologue 4

**~Prologue 4~**

**

* * *

**

**RETURN OF THE DISCLAIMER: Kingdom Hearts and all related concepts belong to Square Enix. The characterization of Alpha is inspired by **_**Leixand**_**, so I usually attribute Alpha to him. Dominic belongs to me, and although I know most people don't like OCs, there's really no way at this point for me to write **_**Mirror**_** without him in it. Nic's "mysterious friend" also belongs to Squeenix but is characterized by **_**Leixand**_**. ..Just wanted to get all of that out of the way, bluh.**

**One note: I know there are some things that are inaccurate later in this chapter. I really can't fix them. ^^; I still think it's kind of silly that I'm writing a KH1fic despite having never played KH1.. so yeah. There's just some stuff that goes completely over my head.**

**

* * *

**

_**And every night  
I will save your life  
And every night  
I will be with you  
'Cause every night  
It just stays the same  
In my dream of an absolution**_

_**

* * *

**_

The first rays of light signaling the turn of night to dawn peeked over the horizon like curious children as they crept across the world before their gaze and slowly illuminated it. Trees rustled and shed leaves that danced in the cool breeze; sparrows chirped to one another only to take flight as a person or two took a stroll on the beaten path that linked the tame wilderness to a small fragment of civilization. As the dirt path wound deeper into the woods like a snake, it happened across a spacious clearing sheltered by centuries-old trees. The clearing was inhabited by a medium-sized wooden cabin, which in turn was inhabited by a close family of nine. Aged wood contrasted sharply with the new rooms that had gradually been added on as the once small family of two or three tripled in size. Even though the sun was just beginning to wake, the sounds of laughter and other such activity could be heard from inside. It wasn't all that unusual; a few of them had odd sleeping schedules or just couldn't be arsed with waking up like a normal person. The family had been living there for at least four or five years, although the newest additions had only been there a year. Anyone was welcome to come visit; even this deep in the woods there was nothing to fear.  
As much as Dominic Shinmane wanted to believe that it was the truth, he knew he didn't belong among them.  
His charcoal-colored hair was lightly tousled by the breeze whistling through the trees and ended at the base of his neck. Saffron bangs had decided with a hint of stubbornness to fall down in his pale, freckled face and, on a few occasions, made it difficult to see. His irises were a peculiar silver that shone gold in some lighting and, as far as he was concerned, only accentuated his aura of weirdness; his expression held traces of a hidden fear that he never could quite leave behind and that dogged his footsteps with every waking moment. His verdant green sweater was several sizes too large and perhaps a hand-me-down from a friend or kind family member, with teal-rimmed sleeves that brushed against the ground where he sat and obscured all but the very tips of his fingers. His brown jeans were striped with blue on the side and were in no better shape: worn at the knees, dirtied at the hem, loose and causing him to trip as they half-hid his black sneakers, and dreaming of better days. If a stranger had spared him a glance they would be unable to guess his heritage, a fact he was quietly thankful for. The only signs of his parentage were his aforementioned silver eyes- a rare phenomenon that gave him away immediately-, his bright orange bangs, and the well-looked after red neckerchief around his neck.  
Tall, gangly, mediocre, shy, awkward. Prone to being startled by the quietest sound, flinching at the smallest movement, clinging on to his friends and the few people he considered his true "family" like they might slip out of his grasp and disappear like smoke. Constantly afraid, occasionally brave, desperate for some kind of affection. He was- and he knew it well- the polar opposite of his half-brother, Joseph Dejon, the "hero" who'd protected them when they were attacked by those disturbing shadow creatures a month ago. Always in his shadow, always compared to him, always hesitant, always hiding while his brothers Joseph and Artemis saved the day... Dominic sighed in half-frustration, half-depression and buried his head in his arms as he drew his knees up close to him chest. The thoughts of escaping from this world- of seeing what lay beyond the wide blue sky, of finding his own way, his own destiny, his own adventure, his own purpose- were nothing more than a treasured fantasy. But day after day, it kept him going. It was the only chance he had.  
"Hey, Nick."

Dominic cried out in alarm and leaped to his feet, only for aforementioned feet to slide out from under him. The newcomer caught him with a swift movement and grinned cheekily as the other boy righted himself. Dominic frowned and balanced himself with the tree he'd been sitting under as he focused his momentary attention on calming back down. The stranger found himself on the receiving end of an annoyed glare; normally docile or not, Dominic wasn't all too happy about being sneaked up on.  
"D-don't **do** that..."  
"Okay, I won't. What's wrong with just saying 'hello'?" He ran a hand through his dirty-blond mullet and his grin widened just a fraction. His emerald eyes twinkled with good humor, however, and confirmed the fact that he'd meant no harm. His own ensemble consisted of a partially unbuttoned white shirt and baggy cobalt pants that fit his lax nature. A loose cerulean tie hung around his neck. He leaned on the tree's trunk lazily next to his shorter friend and smiled as Dominic stammered out in his usual stutter the missed greeting. "So, how you doing? Thing's still holding up with-"  
"Y-Yes." Dominic cut him off before he could say anything else, while at the same time trying to hide his own thoughts and feelings. The other teen nodded as he understood what Dominic was reluctant to say. The younger boy didn't move or object as his friend put an arm around his shoulders.  
"Things'll get better, dude. Until then, you know you have me, Cassie, and the others to back you up." _I'm not gonna stand by and watch him do this to himself. _"And, hey... maybe that day you're waiting for is just around the corner!" He managed a warm smile that felt odd with the rare, serious look in his eyes. _I'm gonna help him through this even if he doesn't want me to. Joseph can't keep abusing him forever. _He moved his arm from its position to ruffle Dominic's short hair that paled in comparison to his own spectacular hairdo. Dominic merely sighed and rested his head on his friend's chest.  
"I don't k-know," he whispered. With a great effort he lifted his head to stare up at the few specks of light braving the dawn. "T-things are changing." He didn't want to say it. The phenomenon he'd been witnessing for the past few nights pressed in on him until he could do nothing but choke it out. ".. the s-stars are going out."  
"The **what**?" He stared at Dominic with a blank expression that failed to hide his shock. _What does he mea-_ The quiet whisper ringing in Dominic's head suddenly stopped dead. Far above their heads, a single star blazed. In the span of the time it took to blink, Dominic cried out in pain, the blond teen let go of him and backed away, and the star... simply disappeared, swallowed by darkness. The sun finally rose and hid the remaining stars with its light, but the blond felt with dreaded certainty that the process continued on out of sight.  
"T-told you." Dominic's voice was a shaky whisper. His hands were trembling as he steadied himself, either unwilling or plain unable to hide the fear the event had evoked. Still shaking, he began to stagger back towards the cabin.  
"Nick, wait!"  
He glanced over his shoulder as his friend called out his nickname. The blond was shaking as badly as he was; his eyes were wide in silent terror. Dominic felt with a silent chill that, somehow, his normally cheerful friend knew something was far, far worse than the younger teen could imagine.  
"Nick, what do you mean- what do you know about this?" _Oh god this didn't just happen please oh god does he know anything I don't want him to get involved please let him not be hiding something-  
_"I'm... I'm s-sorry..."  
"Don't be sorry, just tell me what's going on!" He grabbed Dominic's arm, his voice rife with panic. His expression turned to a pleading one as he struggled to hold some form of control over himself. _This... it's not right... we need to tell someone... Damnit, it's just... this isn't right...  
_"I know it isn't r-right!"

The blond let go of Dominic's arm and backed away like it was a live wire. Dominic realized his mistake a second too late and his expression switched from quiet fear to one of horror as he brought his arms up to to hide his head as if expecting his friend to hit him. A pounding headache took up residence between his eyes and made it impossible to think straight as his heartbeat accelerated. He screwed his eyes shut, but that did nothing but increase the throbbing ache. Broken images and scattered thoughts that weren't his flooded his senses and pushed him over the edge into the mental abyss he'd been afraid to approach or cross.  
"I'm s-sorry! I didn't m-mean to-"  
"Nick- Dominic! It's okay, buddy, just calm down!"  
The blond's cries went unheeded. A strong wind began to pick up and sent leaves spiraling through the air as it whipped his bangs in his face. A supernatural force that sent chills down his spine concentrated in the immediate area as the wind got worse. Dominic appeared to light up as a golden energy swirled around him that only grew brighter with each passing moment. The blond knew he had to act fast- if Joseph or one of the others spotted Dominic in this state, he'd only panic more and things would get even worse. He settled on doing what Cassie usually did in situations like this and pulled Dominic into a tight hug.  
"Dominic, it's okay! I don't care! Look, I know you're afraid of your powers, buddy, and I know you hate them because they mean you're not like the others, but I don't care! Even with all the crap everyone's put you through, I don't care!" He shut his eyes tightly and mentally 'yelled' his thoughts in an attempt to get through to him._ Please, Nick, I need you to trust me. I don't care, even if you can't control it.. it makes you different, sure, but I'd rather have you as a friend than anyone else...  
_ For a moment, it felt like his attempt had been in vain. Then the pressure around the duo lifted and the wind died down. The golden glow disappeared and left Dominic exhausted and clinging to his friend like a lifeline. The blond didn't object and patiently waited for the other boy to sort out his tangled emotions. For Dominic, overreacting was common- but it often led to situations where even the slightest thing could set off his unusual powers and send him into a spiral of panic that took drastic measures to alleviate. Fear was Dominic's driving force. Letting his fear override everything was the worst thing he could ever do. No one really knew how his abilities had developed the way they did, but the threat of him having a panic attack and being unable to recover was high. Some things could trigger it, but it mostly happened without much warning. The blond smiled gently as the last traces of the glow faded into nothingness and the shorter teen relaxed.  
"Nick, how long've you been awake?" He sat down with him and ruffled his hair. A random question, sure, but one of some small significance. Dominic blinked as he tried to remember.  
"A.. a w-while... I've been having n-nightmares.. couldn't s-sleep..."  
"No wonder you're a mess, dude." The blond chuckled, having already shrugged off the incident. "Get some shuteye. I'm here to keep you company if anything happens." He pulled an instrument out of apparent nowhere and set to tuning it. Dominic lay down and rested his head on the other teen's lap with some hesitation and found himself rewarded by a kind smile. "Don't worry. Like I said, I'm here." He reluctantly smiled and his eyes fluttered closed as, satisfied, the blond began to play and the first few notes of a familiar song floated through the morning air. _Things'll get better, buddy. I know it._

_

* * *

_  
Dominic later figured that he'd just been tempting fate with that last little comment.

A silent scream tore through the air like a searing knife and struck its point in Dominic's very soul. He bolted to his feet just as the mental cry ended and ignored the blond's own cry of alarm. He gritted his teeth and held his head as images and voices broke through the tired haze clouding his mind and threatened to knock him off his feet. Somewhere in the world- somewhere close- pure chaos had broken loose. Trying to force it out was like trying to stop a tsunami with a butterfly net. He gasped as the blond teen grabbed his arm and yanked him out of his trance. "Ngh-"  
"Nick! Look up!"  
Not in a position to argue, he squinted and turned his gaze upwards. A small spacecraft was hurtling through the atmosphere and trailing smoke. With a pang of mixed fear and anguish, Dominic realized that the damaged ship was the source of the new set of thoughts. It soared over their heads like an injured bird only to crash deep in the forest and take out all the trees in a wide radius of its location. Before Dominic or the blond could react, the cabin door slammed open and everyone piled out in a confused crowd.  
"Wh-what's going on?"  
"Was that a plane?"  
"No way!"  
" -Dominic, wait!"  
A brunette girl called out to him, but he seemed to not hear her words as he took off like a bullet from a gun. The blond's voice mingled with hers in a panic as the roar of voices subsided with the increasing distance. Dominic's thoughts were focused on the crash site as he replayed the recent memory over in his head. ..Someone had been in there. Someone who probably needed help, be it his or someone else's. But if the others were just going to stand around and gawk, then.. then it was up to him to at least see if someone had survived. He took a breath to steady himself and willingly plunged into the cacophony of thoughts surrounding him.

_Is he going to the crash site..?  
Dominic! Please, come back..!  
What's going on?_

_... hh... oh god... i'm.. I...i'm alive..._

Dominic homed in on the faint voice lingering just at the fringes of his consciousness. Someone had survived; the news sent relief sweeping through him. It also wasn't anyone he knew; the 'voice' had a strange feeling to it unlike those of his family and friends. Realization struck: it **had **to be someone from another world. Everything clicked into place, followed by a nagging feeling that bothered him. What was an otherworlder doing _**here**_? Dominic gritted his teeth and shoved the thought away. He'd find out later; he had to help. No one else would. His pounding footsteps echoed through the now-silent forest as he ventured onwards, farther than he'd gone before. The path soon curved away and he skidded to a stop. A quick look-around revealed that the path may not lead where he needed to be. With slight hesitation, he neared the edge of the bend. With each step, the voice grew stronger.

_...oh god... let the others.. be alright... please..._

There was no other choice, then. Dominic left the path behind him and charged onwards into the wilderness. While the area around the cabin and the path could be considered "safe", he'd heard stories of beasts lurking in the untouched parts. He was putting his life on the line for a complete stranger. His pace slowed down as he began to have second thoughts. What if he got eaten by a bear? Or a dinosaur? Or... or... The path wasn't that far, he could just go back... right? He shook his doubts off and tapped into his powers again, relieved as the soft, golden light lit up the imposing darkness. The silence pressed in on him as he left safety behind. _I'm coming_, he thought, even though he knew he couldn't be heard. _I'm coming to help._

_

* * *

_

Trees were littered around the crash site and splintered like hundreds of frail toothpicks that had an elephant dropped on them. The ship rested in the center of a crater larger than Dominic had imagined or expected, and certainly larger than the clearing he'd come from. Smoke still trailed upwards from the forlorn wreckage. Parts of the craft had caved in, and it was so badly trashed that, for a short moment, Dominic wondered if he'd imagined the thoughts. Nobody could survive a crash like that.

_Please... anybody... I need help..._

No, he wasn't imagining it. Dominic carefully made his way past the crater's rim and half-skidded, half-slid down the side. He felt uneasy as he approached the damaged craft. Even though he was in close proximity, the voice was growing weaker. He slid his hand across the battered surface until his fingers brushed against what he hoped to be the door and tugged as hard as he could. Nothing. His expression shifted into one of concern as he tried pushing on it, pulling to the side.. still nothing. Either the door was jammed, or.. Fear flared up in him. It might've been locked from the inside. If so... then... A lump formed in his throat as he leaned against the side and found himself face-to-face with the bitter truth. _He's trapped..._  
Then it was time for drastic measures.  
Dominic was unusual in more ways than one. Maybe it was because of the same weird genetic glitch that had produced his powers, or maybe something else he couldn't quite explain. While his "episodes" had become common knowledge, there was another thing that he kept as secret as he could- a secret he found himself forced to utilize. His body trembled as he braced himself and glowed brighter, then closed his eyes tightly and focused. Despite his fears, Dominic took a deep breath and willed himself to change. His normally pale skin became even paler and black stripes etched themselves on his forearms and cheeks. Pain shot through him and black claws shot out the ends of his fingertips and impaled themselves into the craft's side. He quickly canceled the transformation before it could progress and braced himself again with one foot resting on the side. The voice was continuing to get fainter; this was his only chance.  
With a yell that was half-roar, Dominic used his temporary strength to pry the door open. Relief flooded through him at his victory only for something heavy to collapse on top of him and send him sprawling flat on his back. Panic shot through him and he nearly attacked, only to remember what he was doing and transform back to fully human, realizing that it was the ship's pilot and- as he assumed, perhaps incorrectly- the sole survivor.  
The stranger's messy brown hair was spiked up in back and had long bangs. Blood trickled down his lightly tanned face as his blue eyes fluttered; he was trying his hardest to hang on to consciousness. His black hoodie and red pants were torn up and had fared no better than their owner; a pair of bronze goggles with cracked lenses rested on his forehead. What caught Dominic's attention most, however, was that the otherworlder appeared to be half-cat. Blunt claws poked out of his fingertips, a long tail dragged on the ground, and a pair of feline ears had missed observation due to blending in with his hair.  
Dominic gave himself a shake. The neko was in critical condition. Heck, he was lucky he was even **alive**. The only thing that mattered right now was to get him back to the cabin where the others would be able to help. Dominic gently pushed the neko off him and stood up. With a sigh he half-carried, half-dragged the stranger back to the path, away from the twisted wreckage. He'd have to tell someone to take a look at the craft later; hopefully it was fixable. The neko stirred; his thoughts were an incoherent blur that Dominic couldn't decipher. The boy glanced at him sadly.  
"..I-it's gonna be alright.. I'll look a-after you..."  
He didn't reply; Dominic really hadn't expected him to. The journey back was spent in uncomfortable silence. The voices of his friends and family felt far away as they crowded around them, asking questions and crying out exclamations and wondering what happened. Dominic tried to tell him, but his mind was elsewhere.  
_I'm not gonna let you die.. I know you're connected to this, somehow. It's just one of those things I know, I guess.. _

_And I also know you can fix it._

* * *

**E N D - P R O L O G U E**

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**A U T H O R ' S - N O T E S**

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**HOLY CRAP IT'S FINALLY EFFING OVER. God. I didn't mean for the prologue to last this long, really.  
Wow Dominic kind of sounds like a sert/Gary-Stu to me. I mean all of his weird abilities and angst makes sense when you take RP canon into account (abused a lot, weirdass parentage, etc) but without that huge mass of explanation (which is also the only thing stopping me from writing the prequel to this) he just.. yeah. And he kind of only goes downhill from here. I know I don't have many readers for this fic (apparently? i'm really not sure) but I don't want to turn people off because of my horrible characterization (which I can get away with in my ToDfic because it's a ToDfic) and stupid OC(s). Wow I'm using parenthesis..es... a lot.  
Next time, maybe actual plot will happen? I don't know XD; I really, really hope so, though. An interesting challenge with this is that it's a lot different from the original RP. Alpha/Sora didn't crash in the original RP, the entire Destiny Islands section wasn't covered, etc. So think of this as ..uh.. a variation of a variation? Idunno. Any inconsistencies can be blamed on either a) AUfic or b) I've never played KH1 and I am missing out on so much, guys.  
A-apparently I lied about it being longer? I dunno. This was 10 pages in my notebook, I swear D8**

**kingdomdisney: I'm not gonna lie, I squealed out loud when I read your comments. FINALLY, SOMEONE ELSE WHO KNOWS ABOUT BETA!SORA 8D I really wish there was more stuff about what KH would've been like originally, I kinda have to wing it here XD thankfully Lei came up with some pretty cool concepts so yay~**

**Fudge I'm rambling and it's only noon instead of late o' clock like usual when I finish a chapter. And I still have a ToDfic chapter to do! And I need to find my original copy of the first "official" chapter so I can rewrite it and type it up! And then maybe I'll continue procrastinating and play/fail at Dwarf Fortress. Yeah that sounds like a good idea.**

**~Teixak**


	5. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

**The Beginning of Something Irreversible  
**

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Dominic Shinmane was very, very used to weird things.  
That went without saying, of course. After all, a couple of days ago he had ran blindly to a crash site to rescue a half-lion offworlder whom he'd heard through his one-way malfunctioning telepathy. But even then, stranger things had happened. It had become simply part of the routine for the abnormal to happen; if your last name happened to be Shinmane or Dejon, you attracted the unusual like a magnet. An hour couldn't go by without someone from off-world showing up, or something exploding, or the badguy of the week attacking, or even a superpowered psychic freakout, the latter of which was happening more and more frequently these days. As far as the multiverse was concerned, you were its plaything, and it wasn't ready to let you forget it. Things happened in ways nobody expected, physics just gave up, and random transformations were just a fact of life. But sometimes things happened that couldn't be explained at all, even knowing the oddities of this particular world. Things like a half-lion catboy crashing his ship and leaving a sizable crater in the middle of the forest. Things like Dominic's best friend having small panic attacks at the mention of a few, unrelated words. Things like the Heartless coming back. Things like the stars going out one by one.  
Yet even in the midst of everything, lighthearted chaos still reigned supreme in the world whose name had been long forgotten. Even if the multiverse was turned on its head, for once maybe the odd little world would function the 'correct' way. But no such thing had happened, even if it was close to happening, so even while the small community was in distress from the recent events, things continued to happen with no rhyme or reason behind them.  
Turning into a cat happened to be one of those things, as he soon found out.

Dominic sighed as he sat down on the arm of the couch. Their "visitor" was asleep, with a blanket tugged over him and bandages wrapped around his head. The bandages were the only sign that he had been hurt in the crash; the upside of landing near such an area was the fact that his rescuers were used to (and, in some cases, quite trained) dealing with this sort of situation. Dominic had been told that it would be a while yet before the offworlder woke up completely; even with his injuries fully healed, he was still out of it and most likely would be for a bit longer. Even then, since he'd brought the wounded half-lion inside he'd kept watch over him. The sense that their uninvited guest was connected to the recent developments hadn't abated as he'd expected, instead following him around like a shadow. Something about the entire situation felt familiar. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind of familiar he welcomed readily.  
The wind rose to send tricolor leaves scattering through the air as Dominic stepped outside. Fall had come early this year; what had been lush forest was now barren trees amidst a blanket of dry leaves. Efforts had been made to collect it into neat, evenly-spaced piles, but the unlucky choresperson had soon given up as wind, kids, animals, or a combination of all three scattered his or her hard work all over the clearing again. It was a beautiful afternoon, of course, and while the wind was cold Dominic didn't find himself bothered by it as he made his way over to the hammock strung between two particularily sturdy trees. He could already hear Joseph whining just out of range (no doubt it was his turn to clean up the mess outside) as he flipped the hammock over and dumped its load on the ground. Leaves crunched in the steady pattern of footsteps as Dominic clambered unsteadily into the hammock and lay down in an effort to relax. As usual, he could already tell who it was, but instead politely waited for the person to finish walking up to him before he reacted to their presence.  
"Hey, Domi-"  
Her greeting turned to a gasp of surprise. Dominic's world spun as he found himself face-down in the pile of leaves he'd created moments earlier. He let out a strained sigh as he heard her start laughing and focused on trying to stand up again. "Hi, Cassie."  
Cassie was, in Dominic's eyes, quite pretty. Her hair was a firey auburn and tied back in a loose ponytail with a small portion hanging separate and currently resting on her shoulder. Her gray-blue eyes met his as she helped Dominic to his feet. Her black tee and dusty blue jeans were somewhat loose on her, and a denim jacket had been thrown on to protect her from the chilly air. Cassie leaned against a nearby tree and Dominic repositioned himself, smiling all the while. The boy tried to hide his light blush and focused his attention back up on the clouds drifting overhead. They merely stayed there in silence for several minutes, enjoying the cool day, each other's company, and the somewhat hilarious sight of the family cat chasing after wind-tossed leaves.  
The multiverse has a way of interrupting such moments, however. A very, very strange way.  
Dominic's eyes widened and he cried out as he was dumped into the leaf pile again. This time, however, something heavy-feeling and made of fabric landed atop him as well. He flailed as hard as he could in a blind panic echoed by Cassie's own thoughts. Light shown through a gap between the leaves and the heavy thing he'd ended up tangled up in and he made a break for it; he heard Cassie gasp again as he exploded out the side of the pile and sent leaves everywhere. His mental cry of _-Yes! FREEDOM!- w_as cut off as something snagged him around the waist and lifted him up in the air.  
It was at this point that Dominic's brain registered three things. One, the world was suddenly a lot bigger than it had been a minute ago. Two, his shirt was still tangled up on one oddly-furry leg and the rest of his garments were resting on the disturbed leaf pile. Three, he had a tail (which wasn't that odd on his own, but was a small cause of concern in combination with the other two things). Meanwhile, Cassie was facing quite a different predicament. The first thing out of her mouth was, "Dominic?" The second happened to be, "Kitty!"  
_-W-wait.. wha...?- _Dominic squirmed around in an attempt to get a better look at himself. He certainly didn't _**feel **_close to 50% human, and with a sinking feeling realized what had happened. "C-Cassie," he stammered in embarrassment, "c-can you p-please put me do-" His plea was cut off by the teenage girl hugging him. With a startled yowl he flailed about, although keeping his new-found claws sheathed for fear of hurting her. "N-not so tight!"  
Cassie loosened her grip automatically and and mumbled an apology. Dominic nuzzled her hand, then examined his new form with some curiosity. He was covered in long, white fur tined a grayish blue and speckled with green spots. A long, fluffy tail, almost as long as he was without it, dangled just out of Cassie's hold. His signature orange bangs were still there, although they looked odd in comparison to the rest of him. In short, he looked like a miniature snow leopard. In long, he ws completely, undoubtedly, and utterly screwed over.  
Cassie sat down on the hammock and rested the embarrassed shapeshifter on her lap. Dominic disentangled himself from the remainder of his clothing and let out a tired sigh. He curled up and tried to fall asleep, only to be nudged back awake before he could doze off completely. Cassie had rummaged through the discarded tangle of clothes and retrieved a small cloth band that had previously been tied around her unlucky friend's wrist. She tied it around Dominic's neck and checked that it was loose enough, then smiled. "There." An improvised bandanna to temporarily replace the one that was currently far too big for him. The feline's mood brightened considerably, and he surprised himself with a quiet purr.  
With that minute problem solved, however, came a larger one. What would happen if anyone else found him like this? He knew he could trust Cassie, but.. A light golden aura shimmered into existence around him as he cuddled up close to her. Only one thing could happen: trouble. And trouble was something he tried his hardest to avoid. While he knew for certain that his small group of friends wouldn't mind his condition, there was always others to take advantage of it. Joseph, for one. As if being turned into a cat through unknown means wasn't hard enough on its own. He'd have to stay out of sight and hope that nobody (especially his half-brother Artemis, who was quite frustrated with Dominic's escapades by now) came looking for him. He could possibly try changing back on his own, but a quick check revealed that he was too drained to do so. His worry abated as Cassie scratched him behind one ear and his train of thought derailed spectacularly and plunged straight off a cliff. At least Cassie was enjoying this.  
"I'll look after you until this wears off," she reassured him. Transformations had a tendency to wear off on their own after a while, although it could take from a few hours to several days. Didn't stop them from being a royal pain in the ass if you got stuck with an inconvenient one, however.  
"T-thanks.." He smiled up at her and felt a gentle purr rumble in his chest. Cassie giggled as she scratched him behind one ear again, then lay down in the hammock with her feline friend resting peacefully atop her. His worries faded as he drifted off into the strange zone between being awake and asleep.  
"Dominic..?" Cassie whispered. Dominic's tail flicked and he moved his head slightly, but he didn't open his eyes. "Dominic.. you'll s-stay here, right? ...you won't leave?"  
Dominic purred in a reassuring way and opened his eyes. Cassie was giving him a concerned look. He gently bumped his nose against hers and smiled. "O-of course I won't leave.. I p-promise."

* * *

Sora woke up with a splitting headache.  
Judging by his view of outside though the nearby windows, it was evening. He was in an unfamiliar house, sprawled out on the couch with a pillow under his head and a coarse blanket draped over him. His jacket was folded neatly in a pile at the foot of the couch with his goggles resting atop it. The room had a warm, welcoming feel despite him being the only person in it. Where w_as_ this place? Where was everyone else? And how had he gotten here? He put his hand to his head and felt something there. Bandages.  
It all flooded back to him. He'd been traveling in his Gummi Ship when it suddenly started malfunctioning. He'd crash-landed on an unknown world, but had ended up trapped inside the craft when he'd tried to exit it. Then... His memory got blurry. A mix of vague images and distant sound assaulted his tired mind. He remembered the sensation of falling and someone... or some_**thing**_.. catching him. He'd only gotten a glance at his rescuer before he passed out. Whoever it was must've brought him here.  
Despite what the the bandages indicated, he was completely unharmed. Odd. Sora frowned, then sat up and unwrapped the bandages. Even though they were bloodied, he could find no wound or feel any pain there; there were no other signs that he had been hurt. - _Wha..? I couldn'tve been out for long, and I don't heal __**that **__fast. What's going on..? -  
- I should thank them. -_ He stood up and put on his jacket. As he slipped on his goggles he noticed a piece of paper and a pen that looked like they had been placed there just for that purpose. Feeling somewhat wary, he scribbled down a quick thank-you note, then stepped outside. He hoped his friends were okay. It had felt like he'd been the only one in the house at the time, and seeing as they'd been unconscious when he was rescued, they'd probably hadn't been noticed in the emergency. Maybe they woke up on their own. ..How long had he been out? Had they tried looking for them and gotten lost? What if they thought he was... gone.. and left without him? ...What if he was stuck here?  
Sora shivered. He didn't want to be trapped here. Even though it looked pretty from what he could see, he was needed elsewhere. An exploratory jaunt is different from being trapped here for perhaps the rest of his life, however short that may be. He knew he was overreacting and that everything was most likely fine, but the fear still hung over him like a heavy weight waiting for the thin rope to snap. All he had to do, he reminded himself, was get back to the ship, meet up with Donald and Goofy, then leave. It was just that simple, he told himself with a spark of confidence. No reason to freak out over a possibility that wasn't even there.  
Something just outside his field of vision moved. Sora spun around and caught a glimpse of something half-hidden in a pile of leaves. Something that was staring straight back at him. The lionboy stayed calm as his eyes met the gaze of the other's. The pile rustled and a white, spotted cat slinked out with an air of slight nervousness. It tilted its head upwards and gave him a curious look. Sora noted that it was somewhat oddly colored, being orange and green as well as white, but figured that that may be normal for this particular world. _- Maybe it's a pet..? Might've gotten lost. - _He knelt down on one knee and tapped the ground cautiously with his fingertips. "Heeeere kitty kitty kitty..."  
The cat gave him a baffled look. "C-Can you please not do that...? This is e-embarrassing enough a-already.." Sora froze and left his jaw hanging open. One might think that he would be used to something like this by now, yet little things like this caught him off guard still. The feline bounded over to him and nuzzled his arm, purring gently. "S-Sorry.. my name's Dominic. I f-found you after your ship crashed.. um.." He hesitated, not knowing what else to say. The cat looked a bit embarrassed, then lifted up a paw and gently closed Sora's mouth for him.  
Sora was bewildered, to say the least. While he _had_ seen his own share of weird things, this was still a bit of a surprise. Plus the diminutive feline didn't match up to his blurry memory of his rescuer, although they _did_ both have orange hair. But how could a tiny cat carry him all the way here? He settled on "werecat" and set the subject aside for now. "Thanks, then." Sora hesitated, wondering how much he could push it, then ruffled the short fur between Dominic's ears. "I'm Sora."  
Dominic reacted somewhat oddly. Not to the awkward petting, but to his name. His eyes widened slightly and he tensed up, then relaxed just as quickly. That ws odd. Dominic tilted his head and asked with slight hesitation, "C..can I call you something else?"  
"Uh.. sure." Sora thought for several moments. He remembered back when he was little how Riku had always called him something. The nickname had worn off as the years had gone by, but it wouldn't hurt for it to be used again, especially with the fond memories tied to it. "You can call me Alpha." He stood up only for Dominic to quickly scale up his side and perch on his shoulder. It took a couple of moments for the lionboy to shake off the sharp pinpricks of pain, but he scratched the cat under the chin and picked him up to set him back down on the ground. "Sorry, I can't stay here. I need to go-"  
"To go fight the H-Heartless, right..?"

Alpha nearly dropped him. "..How did you _know_?" _- Besides the obvious, anyways, -_ he remarked to himself. He'd figured he looked pretty normal and not like the hero he supposedly was, plus this idyllic world didn't look like it had been under siege by Heartless. He would've seen some by now if it was. Dominic merely tilted his head and gave him an innocent look, prompting a sigh from Alpha. "..Yeah, I am. It sounds like I'm the only one who can. Even though I'd like to stay here and look around a bit longer, I need to hurry up and go."  
"Then let me c-come with you!" Dominic yowled in desperation. Alpha shook his head and set him down. The feline persisted, trying to climb up his leg. "I d-don't care if I'm s-stuck like this, I can h-help you! Let me come!"  
"I don't think I can bring anyone with me." Alpha gave his leg a light shake in an attempt to dislodge him. "Even if I could.. are you sure you want to leave this place behind? I don't know when I'll be able to come back here. It's really pretty, and I'm sure you have friends and family-"  
Dominic flinched like he'd been struck. Alpha knew that he'd said the wrong thing as the cat let go and glared up at him. His fur was bristling like he'd stuck his tail in an electrical socket, and what looked like golden mist was rolling off him in waves. Alpha was starting to find it harder to think clearly as a light headache took up residence between his eyes. Dominic's demeanor had changed completely in just the span of a few seconds; it was like he was talking to someone else.  
"I'm not w-wanted here. I was n-never wanted here. Day after d-day I'm r-reminded of that. I _**w-want**_ to leave. I w-want to see other worlds.. I w-want to escape from here and m-maybe be able to prove m-myself. N-nobody's ever given me a chance! That's a-all I want.. a c-chance to show that I'm n-not useless..." The glowing energy faded and Dominic's fur lay flat. The kitten lay down and Alpha thought he heard him say, "m-maybe then it wouldn't h-hurt so much." He was desperate. He was desperate, and Alpha realized that, as of now, he was his sole chance. Dominic looked up at him and for a moment- a strange, gut-twisting moment that, for the split second it lasted, made Alpha feel like he was no longer in his version of reality- Alpha felt like he was, somehow, looking at himself.  
Alpha crouched down and held out his arms. Dominic froze with hesitation, then a shy smile lit up his face and he leaped into the lionboy's arms. Alpha stroked his fur in a vague attempt to comfort him, feeling Dominic shiver under his touch. He didn't know what to say. What _could_ he say in a situation like this? He was trying to comfort a talking cat who apparently wasn't a cat that apparently had serious problems and a desire to run away from everything. There was only one thing he _could_ do, a little voice in the back of his mind spoke up. He wanted a chance; he would give it to him. Alpha sighed and stood up, but permitted himself a small smile as Dominic pressed himself up against him. _- ..I could get used to this. - _"Alright.. but don't you want to at least say goodbye first? At least tell someone you're leaving?"  
Dominic's ears drooped and he looked away. Alpha followed his gaze to see a human girl asleep in a hammock. A quiet whimper sounded from the feline as he looked at her. The lionboy set him down and watched him bound over to the hammock and unsteadily clamber into it. Dominic hesitated, then nuzzled the girl and curled up next to her neck. Alpha's ears pricked up as he heard him whisper something, although he couldn't quite catch it. Something about a promise... The minutes ticked by slowly, and Alpha could see he was reluctant. Finally the feline sighed and slowly trudged back over to Alpha, then climbed back up on his shoulder.  
As Alpha started walking to where he'd said the crash site was, Dominic looked back over his shoulder at the little clearing. Later, he would wonder if he made the right choice after all. Later, he would wonder if he should've stayed behind. Later, he would wish that he had said a proper goodbye, not just words whispered faintly to someone who couldn't hear him. Later, his life would be irreversibly changed to the point where he might as well have been an entirely different person.

Later, he would decide that it was all worth it.


End file.
